REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS WEST CHESTER AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (WCACOG) RENEWABLE ENERGY PLANNING SERVICES NOTICE: West Chester Area Council of Governments (WCACOG) is soliciting proposals from qualified firms to provide renewable energy planning services within a multi-jurisdictional area. The WCACOG represents seven municipalities surrounding West Chester, Pennsylvania. These municipalities are West Chester Borough and the townships of East Bradford, West Whiteland, West Goshen, East Goshen, Westtown, and Thornbury. This RFP package which includes a Scope of Work describing the required services is also presented on the East Goshen Township website www.eastgoshen.org beginning December 14, 2018. Proposal must be submitted electronically by 3:00pm EST on February 4, 2019. If a respondent desires to provide hard copies in addition to the electronically submitted proposal, these should be delivered to the following address: Rick Smith, Township Manager East Goshen Township 1580 Paoli Pike West Chester, PA 19380-6199 Respondents may contact Rick Smith with questions regarding the Request for Proposal. Question should be submitted in writing via email to rsmith@eastgoshen.org on or before January 28, 2019. Any questions and their responses will be posted on the East Goshen Township website. The right to reject any and all proposals by the WCACOG is reserved. The Proposals will be evaluated by a WCACOG review team and several respondents may be invited to be interviewed. Any and all costs of preparing proposals (including site visits where needed) shall be the responsibility of the submitting firm.
General Overview Request for Proposals The West Chester Area Council of Governments (WCACOG) is soliciting proposal from qualified consulting firms ( Respondents ) to provide professional planning services which will explore energy conservation and renewable energy options within the West Chester area. A detailed description of the overall work to be performed is provided in the Scope of Work section of this document. Background The West Chester area is located in the heart of the Route 202 technology corridor in Chester County 30 miles west of Philadelphia and has a population of over 100,000. The area has seen steady and continued business and residential growth for many years. In addressing the benefits and challenges of this continued growth, the WCACOG wishes to explore options to transition to renewable energy. West Chester Borough and East Bradford Township have adopted a 100% Renewable Energy Vision Resolution to achieve 100% renewable energy electricity by 2035 and 100% renewable energy for all uses by 2050 in a fair and inclusive transition process. Scope of Agreement The selected respondent will be required to provide all labor, supervision, materials, supplies, transportation, equipment, and services necessary to assume overall responsibility for the coordination and communication of this project s goals. Responsibilities of the Respondent The services being requested are outlined in the section entitled Scope of Services. Submission Procedure and Proposal Content Proposals shall be submitted no later than 3:00pm E.S.T. February 4, 2019. One (1) electronic copy shall be submitted to Rick Smith at rsmith@eastgoshen.org. Respondents desiring to deliver a hard copy in addition to the required electronic copy may do so to: Rick Smith, Township Manager East Goshen Township 1580 Paoli Pike West Chester, PA 19380-6199 All proposals must include a cover letter indicating the respondents name, primary contact person, address, telephone number, and email address. Additional Information All requests for interpretation, clarification or additional information regarding this RFP should be made in writing, via email to Rick Smith at rsmith@eastgoshen.org. The deadline for questions shall be January 28, 2019. Any questions and their responses will be posted on the East Goshen Township website. Limitations Responses to this RFQ does not imply any commitment on behalf of the WCACOG or any of its members. Subsequent evaluation and acceptance of any contract will take place after any RFPs are issued for this topic. 2
Community Renewable Energy Planning Service Scope of Work As mentioned in the background section of this RFP, the WCACOG is working to develop an approach that would allow it to achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2035 and 100% renewable energy for all uses by 2050 in a fair and inclusive transition process. Scope of Services Energy Transition Plan: The primary deliverable to be provided through this requested service is a customized and achievable Energy Transition Plan for the WCACOG area. It is important to reiterate that the Energy Transition Plan will be developed for the entire area, but will also include municipal government operations. This includes understanding area-wide energy use and technological solutions, barriers, legal implications, and potential financial models for energy conservation and renewable energy implementation. The Energy Transition Plan created by this project should include identification of strategies to achieve stated energy conservation and renewable energy goals structured in a framework of practical achievability with an understanding of the regulatory context and conditions in Pennsylvania. Additionally, the plan should incorporate these issues as they relate to WCACOG operations. The plan should be developed in close coordination with the WCACOG. Essential elements of the plan include: Development of consensus understanding among WCACOG members about the goal of 100% renewable energy. This would include how the term renewable energy is defined and basic education about connotations ranging from real and personal property powered directly by renewable energy sources to purchasing energy through renewable energy sources or tax credits, or other currently viable options; Assessment of the current regulatory framework for energy policy, generator and utility operations, and renewable energy in Pennsylvania; provide an analysis and recommendations concerning applicable policy issues related to identified plan strategies and regulations related to energy production, energy use, efficiency and renewable energy; Assessment and identification of energy conservation, renewable energy and energy storage opportunities, incentives and approaches to achieve identified strategies or scenarios including identification of appropriate locations for renewable energy and/or storage installations; Quantification of the financial implications and assessment of the economic and other impacts of developed strategies and recommendations; Development of recommendations/opportunities for community partnerships with private businesses, utility companies, renewable energy providers, non-governmental organizations, and other relevant parties within the area; Support WCACOG members staff for public meetings or presentations and development of educational and outreach materials related to the plan or plan development process; An analysis of the greenhouse gas emission reductions that will be achieved; Be structured as short, medium and long term recommendations/opportunities. Possibly separating the deliverables into a 3 phases. 3
Schedule: Contract completion of Energy Transition Plan by consultant is anticipated to be within 4 months of contract execution (as shown below in Anticipated Schedule of Bidding Process). Compensation The consultant may be compensated on an hourly basis with an established not-to-exceed cost for each individual assignment, a lump sum fee, or an agreed upon fee arrangement. The proposed staff, estimated hours, reimbursable and any other costs shall be established through mutual agreement between the consultant and the WCACOG. Once a contract is fully executed and the exact scope of work is approved by the WCACOG, the consultant shall proceed with the project, invoicing the WCACOG on a monthly basis based on the actual staff-hours charged to the project and reimbursables. The invoice should document all staff-hours charged and description of project progress. The proposal may suggest a phased deliverable with specified costs. Anticipated Schedule Release of RFP: December 14, 2018 Deadline for clarification and changes: January 28, 2019 Proposals Due: February 4, 2019 Contract Execution: April 25, 2019 Proposal Format Proposals should be submitted in a format that allows for uniform review and easy access to information by the Evaluation Committee. The proposals should be clear and concise, with substantive portion of the proposal limited to 20 pages (single-sided) (additional pages shall be allowed for staff resumes, references and other general proposal information). Emphasis should be placed on the specific qualification of the people who will actually provide the services and the firm s ability to manage the service. To assist in the evaluation process the proposal shall contain at least the following information: Transmittal Letter and Signature Page: Provide a brief cover letter stating your firm s commitment to provide the services as needed in this RFP, including a brief narrative describing the firm, its history, and data relative to the firm s size. Basic Qualifications o Provide the firms experience with renewable energy or sustainability planning and energy policy efforts at the community or local government level; o A complete list with brief descriptions of recent renewable energy or sustainability planning efforts at the community or local government level the firm has participated; o Information describing the firm s knowledge or experience coordinating with utilities and renewable energy providers; o Provide the firm s experience with energy policy, implementation or development of emerging strategies or approaches to promote or enable to use of renewable energy and the applicable regulatory context of energy policy and renewable energy projects in 4
the Pennsylvania, including knowledge and coordination with the PA PUC or other regulatory entity and/or coordination with local governments or community groups in support of legislative goals; o Provide examples of your experience coordinating with relevant government agencies or other organizations with key knowledge of energy regulations, energy efficiency and renewable energy policy and implementation; o Explain the firm s knowledge or experience with funding or financing for initiatives that encourage widespread adoption of renewable energy that could be incorporated into the plan. Staff Qualifications o Provide an overview of the qualifications of your project manager and key project staff, including any anticipated sub-consultants; including the identification of appropriate personnel with detailed knowledge of renewable energy or sustainability planning and detailed knowledge of the regulatory context of energy policy and renewable energy in Pennsylvania and/or personnel with experience coordinating with the PA PUC; o Describe who will perform the various tasks and what will be their level of involvement and responsibilities and give their qualifications for this specific task; o Include resumes of individuals; and o Indicate the location of the office that agent(s) will work out of while services will be performed. Approach to Project o Include a statement describing how you would approach this project and how you will work with the members of the project team; o Describe your approach to completing the essential renewable energy plan elements identified in the Scope of Work Examples of Work o Provide specific example(s) of your firm s local/municipal renewable energy or sustainability plan development projects prepared for municipal or other government clients. Where available, online links to example plans/documents should be provided for reference during proposal review. Proposal Review The municipal managers of each of the WCACOG member municipalities and one or more members of the Chester County Clean Energy Leaders will review the proposals and present their recommendation for consideration at the WCACOG meeting on February 21, 2019. o (optional) Presentations may be arranged either in person or via webinar at the discretion of the proposal review team. Proposal Acceptance The WCACOG is comprised of an elected official from each of seven municipalities in the West Chester region. Under the terms of the inter-municipal agreement that created the WCACOG, the governing body of each of member municipality must specifically approve participation in any WCACOG project or program. If, at their meeting on February 21, 2019, the WCACOG agrees to move this project forward, the representative from each of the member municipalities will go back to his or her respective 5
council or board to determine if they want to participate in this project. The representatives will report their respective council or board s decision at the WCACOG meeting scheduled for April 25, 2019. The WCACOG will then enter into a contract on behalf of the member municipalities that agreed to participate in this project. N:\Data\Shared Data\ABC'S\WCACOG\Clean Energy\RFP\WCA COG RFP - Final.docx 6